Apparatus for cleaning boiler-tubes.



PAAI'AATED JULY'z, 19de@ H. IP. WBINLAND. y Y APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BOILBR TUBES;

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gum/wrom "PATUUTUU JULY 28, 190s. y l151.1".WUUULAUU. APPARATUS EUR CLEANING BUILBR TUBES.

PL T N FIL 12. 1 l AP `10A IO ED JUNE 905 2 SHEETS SEEBT 2l i To @Hicham 'it 'may concern:

.aries 'earner essieu nenni F'. WEINLAND, OF srnrNcFiELn OHIO, Assrenoa To run nicotina inserieren- ING COMPANY, oF srRiNoFiisLD, onro, A ooRPoRArioii or Osio.

AlB/EATUS FOR LEAINKNG BOLER-TUEE$ ne. essere?.

Be itwlrnown thatl, HENRY F.`WEINLA`ND,

.-a vcitizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, inthe county of Clark'a'nd State ot Uhio, have invented certain new Aand useful Improvements in A' paratus for Cleaningv Boiler-"Tubes, of Whic the. following. isa specdicatiomreferenceibeing had therein to t e accompanying drawings.

This f invention relates lto, apparatus for cleaning boiler tubes, vand more particularly to/,the :mechanism whereby rotary motion at a high rate of's eed is imparted to the cleaner head or-clle'aning 'tool' roper, and whereby theA said head or tool 1sy -fedto its Workz f lt is the object oi'rny invention to provide an 'apparatus in which the motor is external with relation tothe boiler, being located outside ot the tubes to becleaned, While the cleaner head or cleaning tool proper is ada tedv to enter and be fed through the tubes )y hand, being freely movable `backend forth therein in line of the axis of the tube o erated upon,ethe cleaner shaft having a sli( ing engagement with the motor shaft, .in unison with which it rotates.

` y To these and other ends my invention consists in certain novel features which I will f :vertical section, showing ana paratus embodying my invention in. one erm in oper ative'position in relation to a boiler; Fig, 2-

- isanenlargedview of so much -oi Fig. 1 as constitutes the motor proper; Fig. 3 is a sec-- tional'vievv, taken .on the line w fw of Fig. 2 40 Fig. 4 isa detail sectionalview, taken on the and looking in the direction oi the arrows;

line fcjxfof Fig. '2 and looking in the direction of thel'arrows; Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the feed controlling handle, detached; Fig. 6 is a sectional view ofthe sama-taken on the line yfof Fig. 5 and looking inthe direction ofthe arrows; Fig. 7 isa detail view ofthe combined guide and gage, the same being shown in position upon the cleaner shaft, Which is shown in section; and Fig. 8 is a seotional view, taken onthc line z z oi Fig. 7 and looking in the directioniof the arrows.

in the said drawings, l indicates Ithe casing or housing of a boiler, which, in the present Specification of Letters Patent. i Application files June 12, 1905. semi ne. esame.

instance, is shown as comprising a plurality oi parallel tubes 2, and a header or manifold 3, into the rear wall of Which the tubes open, the front' wall being vprovided with hand holes 4, closed when in use by the usual caps This torni of boiler is chosen for purposes 60 5. of illustration only, las the apparatus is capay ble of use with other types of boiler.

`in front The apparatus comprises a motor adapted to be supportedlin a iixed'working position o theboiler, preferably by mean's'iof connecting devices by which it is secured din rectly to the boiler, the connection being' .8, united by screw'bolts The part is provided with 'ianges or extensions 1G, slot- .ted as indicate/det 1i to receive hook bolts l2, the hooked ends 13 of which are adapted 4to engage with the margins of the hand holes 4 of the header front, while the other, threaded vends of said hook-bolts are provided with Patented .my es, reos.

nuts 14, which bear against the outer faces oi the fianges or extensions 10. -The casing member 7 comprises also a housing .1 5 for the motor Wheel i6, and a central discharge tube 17, which is .adapted to pass through one of the hand vholes e of the header front, and which is provided with a stop iange 18 to bear against the iront surface thereof. By reason of the-slots l l the hook bolts l2 maybe adjusted so as to properly engage the header casing may be drawn against said front until x the stop iiange i8 bears `lirmly against the sama-thus securing the motor easing in position. The easing member 8 vcomprises a disk-like body portion 1-9, which forms one Wall of the motor wheel housing, its' margin receiving the screw bolts 9, and said easing member further comprises a bearing sleeve 20,in which the motor shaft or hub 2l /is supported in suitable bearings. These bearings are so constructed as to prevent longin tudinal motion oi the motor shaft in the bearingeleeve, and. in the present instance, I have shown for this purpbse ball bearings 2Q. order 'to 'crevice an adjustment 'for said'bearings, au to take up any wear that may occur, the outer end. et.' the motor shaitt front, and by tightening up lche nuts la, the

is threaded, and the bearing cone 23 of the outer bearinr is corres o'ndingly threaded and mounted onsaid tireaded end of the shaft, so that, by turning said cone on .said shaft in the proper direction, the desired adjustment may be effected.l To this end said cone is shown as provided with apertures 24 in its periphery, to receive apin or other suitable evice, by means of which it may be turned. To hold the cone in position after it is adjusted, I employ a lock nut 25, also mounted on the threaded end of the motor shaft, and to prevent the turning of said lock nut when screwed home from turning the bearing cone and thereby disturbing its adjustment, I interpose between the lockin nut and cone a washer 26, which is prevente from rotation by reason of the fact that the end of the motor shaft is iiattened at one side, as indicated at 27 in Fig. 4, the aperture of the washer being similarly shaped.

The motor wheel-116 is shown as provided with eriphcral vanes or buckets 28, said wheel aving a central discharge into the discharge tube 17. The motor housing is provided with a tangential inlet tube 29, threaded to 'receive a bushing 30, in which is mounted 'a jet nozzle 31, so directed astodeliver a jet of water under pressure against the buckets or vanes 28 of the motor 'wheel to rotate the same with the desired speed and power. A coupling 32, to which a hose 33 is attached, is screwed into the outer end of the bushing 30, said hose bein connected to any suitable source of supply o Water under pressure. The water is dischargedfrom themetor through the discharge pipe 17 into the header 3, from which the greater portion of it is dischar ed through the lower boiler tubes, a suf icient quantity being carried over by the force of its discharge to the tube beir y.perated on to su ply said tube with the'tvater necessary to t e e'flicient working of the cleaner' head in the operation of removing the scale.

The motor shaft 21 isI hollow, and the cleaner shaft, indicated as a whole by the reference numeral 34, extends throughsaid hollow motor shaft and is free to slide longitudinally therein, while rotating in unison therewithi Any suitable construction may bc employed to cause the two shafts to rotate in unison, but that `which I prefer is the construction; shown, in which the cleaner shaft 34 is made square in cross section, the motor shaft aperture being also made square in cross section for at least a ortion of its le th, -as indicated at 35, to t the cleaner sha t. Thecleaner shaft is preferably made in sections, united by'a suitable separable joint, as indicated at 436, so that, as the cleaning proceeds and the cleaning head or tool advances further into the tube, the cleaning shaft may be lenffthened from time to time v by the addition of other sections, as may be required, By reason of this construction,- the inconvenience of o erating an unnecessarily long cleaning sha t at the beginning of' the cleaning of each tube is avoided, the opa erator stands close t0 the work, and the ap-f paratus may be adapted for cleaning tubes of any length.

At its forward end 'the cleaner shaft has atJ tached to it a cleaner head 37, which may be of any suitable construction, although I prefer for this purpose a ower cleaner head such as 1s set forth in eit er of my prior Letters Patent No. 743,782, of November 10,

1903, or No. 784,129, of March v7, 1905, the latter form being illustrated in the present instance. The rear end' of the cleaner shaft 34 extends out. beyond the end of the motor shaft 21, and is. there provided with a feedcontrollin handle 38, so mounted thereon that the s aft is free to turn in the handle, but must move longitudinally in unison therewith. A I have provided a connection whereby this handle may be attached to any one of the sections of which the cleaner shaft is composed, and to that end said connection compr1ses a sleeve 39, having a square aperture 40 to receive the shaft 34, upon which it is secured by means of a set screw 41. The sleeve 40 is provided externallv with a circumferential groove 42, while the handle 38 is provided with a central sleeve 43, which fits over the sleeve 39, and is provided with an internal circumferential groove 44 corre- -sponding to the groove 42. The sleeve 43 lformed by the grooves 42 and 44, and afterA the balls are thus introduced, the aperture 45 is closed by a screw 47, which the aperture is threaded to receive. By reason of this con struction, the operator may -rfras i the handle 38 and by its means move t 1e c eener shaft longitudinally back and forward through the motor shaft, thereby imparting a corresponding motion to the cleaner head or tool 37. In this way the cleaningtool may be fed to its work as occasion may require, and may be moved back and forward over the portion of the tube operated upon until the scale is entirely removed therefrom.

In order to support the inner end of the cleaner shaft so as to maintain it in proper central position within the tube and at the same time enable the o erator to determine whether the scale has een completely rcmoved from the art of the tube on which the cleaning too is operating without a. visual inspectionand the removal of the aparatus which such inspection requires, I iiave provided a combined Guide and gage, mounted on the cleaner shaft near its lnner end. This device is shown in position in Fig. 1, and is illustrated in detail in Figs. 7 and 8. It comprises a sleeve 48, secured on the shaft 34 by means of a set screw 49, or in any other- :jplied to. thivcleaning head. 1s provided with an internal circumferential eases? suitable manner. This sleeve is provided with a circumferential "O'roove 50 in its external surface, which is cy indric.

5l represents a ring or annulus fittingon the sleeve t8 and provided with a Jertures 52 for the free passage of the water which is sup This annulus 51 r`groove 53, corresponding to the groove er' the sleeve 48, am said annulus 1s further pro-- vided with an aperture 54, through which bearing balls` may be introduced into the raceway formed by the grooves 5() and 53, `-said aperture' bemg closed, after the introduction ol: the balls, by means of a screw 55,

which the aperture is threaded to receive. The cleaner shaft and-its sleeve are thus free f to rotatefwithin the annulus, while this latter moves'longitudinally with them. The annulusismade of an external diameter such as to' 'hta'nd shdelwithm the tube operated upon,

` so luln'it'itffgniles and supports the inner end of the cleaner shaft, forming a bearingr there- Yfor which holds the shaft m properly centered.

i position within the tube.

Since the said annulus' fits the tube somewhat closely and niet s1'longitudinally'with the cleaner shaft, any scale remaining in the tube will resist ferv'vard pressure exerted by the operator to l feed .the cleaner forward, and will indicate to him that the scalehas not been entirelyv removed. ln such a ease, the o )crater draws the cleaner' shaft outward until the cleaning head or tool is brought back to the unfinished section offthe tube and there caused to operate until said section is properly cleaned, so as to permit the gage formed by the annulus 5l to pass by the saine.

The general operation of thev apparatus will be readily understood from the preced# ing description. i The motor casing;l is ap# plied to the header front in proper relation to thepartieular tube to be operated upon, and may be shifted from tube to tube as the cleaning operation proceeds. The motor, being external with relation'to the boiler, may be made of such a size as to give the necessary power and speed to effectively rem-pvc the sca e, and the rotary motion ofthe motor shaft istransmitted directly to the cleaner shaft, giving the necessary rotary motion to the cleaningr head or tool attached to the forward end of the cleaner shaft. As the scale is successively removed, first from the front end of the tube, and then from the portions thereof lying further back, the cleaner shaft and tool are fed forward by hand by the o erator, the tool being freely vmovable bac ward and forward as occasion may require, so as to cause the tool too erate repeatedly y upon the portion of the tu )e thus traversed same, and this may be readily accomplished without removing the tool or shaft' or dis lacing the motor, by simply removing the iandle and couplingy on an additional shaft section to the projecting end of the section from which the handle has been just removed. The handle may be then applied to the end of the added section, and the cleaning will proceed as before.-

il do not wish to be urulerstood as limitingr myself to the precise details ofconstruction hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawings, as it is obvious that modifications may be made therein without departing;1 from the principles of my invention.

Having' thus fully described m y invention, what I claim as new and. desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An apparatus for cleaning` boiler tubes, comprising a' motor having a hollow motor shaft and a' rotating pou/'engelieratingr meme ber or wheel mounted directly on said shaft, means for su pporting' said motor in variable fixed positions relatively to the boiler front, a cleaner shaft extending centrally through the motor shaft, having a free longitudinal movement relatively thereto and rotating' in unison therewith, a cleaning' tool mounted on the forward end of said cleaner shaft, in front of the motor, and. a feed-controlling handle mounted on the rear end of said shaft, in the rear ofv the motor, said cleaner shaft being free to rotate in said handle and moving longitudinally in unison therewith, substantially as described.

An apparatus for cleaning boiler tubes comprising a motor having a casing, a water wheel mounted. in said casing' and having a hollow shaft, means for supplying water under pressure to said wheel, said casing having a central water discharge pipe, .means for supporting said motor in variable fixed position relatively to the boiler front, a cleaner shaft extending` centrally through the easing,

motor shaft and discharge pipe and beyond l the same in each direction, said cleaner shaft having a free longitudinal movement relatively to the motor shaft and rotating in unison therewith, a cleaning' tool mounted on the forward end of said cleaner shaft, and a feed-controlling handle mounted on the rear end of said cleaner shaft, said cleaner shaft being free to rotate in said handle and moving longitudinally in unison therewith, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for cleaning boiler tubes, the combination, with a water wheel having" a hollow shaft extending' on one side thereof, of a casingl for said wheel having at one side a bearing sleeve for said shaft, and having at the other side a tubular extension alined with said bearing sleeve and constituting a water discharge pipe adapted to fit a boiler opening, and a cleaner shaft extending krising and disio sa i in nach dil nt one c hen-die lisentlull as e lino ing Si Waiter 15 holler one :ateni'l' ig throng/:h -sing' rind dis- Che-r me in ena-h di? reotion ning; tool et one ond, fonl-rfiiing handle mol-or ez i noin'ioet es deseri ,d g holler 'tralies "'hw; n. cleaning' l .die :it the miotm coin- I ,l 421. ,onow sou-ir o'v with swiveied on being provi to a boiier I in ."g, eoinpri, ng s f tool at one en other end, in combi prising e wn.

in which seid e which it roiotu Water Wheel and having :i bearing for its Shaft, a water inlet, and a central discharge pipe adapted to iit the hond hole of a boiler header and terminate within said header, boing provided with o stop shoulder to beer against the front thereof, said easing being provided with ineens for drmving the sinne against the boiler front, substantially as described.

6. In :in apparatus of the character described, the ooinbinotion, with a inotor hav- .f

ing` o 'i'ixed posion, ol n, longitudinally slidzihle shaft rotated by said inotor and coniposed of detachable sections of polygonal cross section, and a detachable eontrollinfr handle for seid shaft comprising a. cylindriea sioeve having :in opening to it said shaft end means for d etaohuhiy securing the same in p0- sition thereon, and a handle proper having a sleeve portion in which seid iirst mentioned sleeve is mounted to rotate and with which it moves in. unison longitudinally of the shaft, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I ax my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY F'. VVEINLAND. Witnesses: RVINE MILLER,

HARMET HAMMAKER. 

